At the recent exercises of the artillery units of the Ukrainian army, a strangely modified 122-mm self-propelled artillery installation 2S1 "Carnation" was noticed.
No, this ACS has not received a new digital automated fire control system, as in some countries, satellite navigation, upgraded communications equipment, night vision devices or a remote-controlled anti-aircraft installation.
Probably, bearing in mind the losses suffered during the battles of 2014-2015, the crew decided, first of all, to take care of protecting their combat vehicle, which does not differ in particularly reliable bulletproof and anti-shatter armor.
However, the choice of material that was used for this is puzzling: rubber was hung on the sides, which partially covered the chassis. Also, a piece was attached to the hatch in front of the driver's workplace. Of course, it is not necessary to talk seriously about the fact that all this will somehow really help in battle. Rather, it is done for complacency.
Recall that the serial production of the 2C1 "Carnation" began fifty years ago.
In 1991, serial production was discontinued. A large number of such self-propelled guns after the collapse of the Soviet Union turned out to be in the armies of the republics that gained independence.
Currently, they are the most massive self-propelled guns in Ukraine - there are about three hundred units in total in the troops. Moreover, in order to compensate for the losses of the APU, they were forced to purchase such equipment in the Czech Republic.
Alexey Brusilov
